Top 10 Sports in Germany

Are you interested in which kind of sports the Germans love most? If so our Top 10 sports in Germany list will help you understand the Germans and their love for certain sports. We will also let you know who are the most famous German sport stars in each sport.

1. Fussball – Soccer or Football

No doubt that Fussball is the most famous sport in Germany by far. The German league called Bundesliga is one of the most famous and successful leagues in Europe.

Every weekend tens of thousands of fans support their favorite football team and cheer for them.

But also the German national team attracts a lot of fans, not only because of the recent win of the World Cup in Brazil. So if you want to experience the Germans, who are known to be a bit stiff and cold, completely emotional then there is no better way than seeing a game in the stadium.

Most famous German football star

This is a tough one, as Germany has had many great footballers. But probably the most famous German football star of all times would be Franz Beckenbauer.

He was very successful as a player and as a manager of the German Nationalmannschaft. Actually he is the only German footballer who won the worldcup both as player and as manager.

2. Golf

Unfortunately Golf still is a sport in Germany that only people with a lot of money seem to practice. Mostgolf clubs require a membership or a substantial fee to let golfers on the course.

And even though right now we have a very successful German golfer, Martin Kaymer, German free TV does not show any golfing tournaments.

Most famous German golf player

Probably Martin Kaymer is the most famous German golf player. He is still playing on the PGA tour and was only the second German golf player to win a Major-tournament. In 2011 he was even the top golf player worldwide.

3. Ice hockey

Many people say that there is no other sport in Germany where the fans in the stadium make more noise and party than at a ice hockey game.

Most major cities also have a ice hockey team in first league, so make sure to see if this rumor about the fantastic atmosphere is right for yourself.

The German icehockey league is considered one of the best leagues worldwide, but of course well behind the more famous American NHL.

Most famous German ice hockey player

Uwe Krupp is one of the few players that made their way succesfully to the NHL, the best ice hockey league worldwide. In 1996 he and his team, Colorado Avalanche, even won the Stanley Cup.

Krupp also was the manager of the German National Ice Hockey Team and made it to the semi finals in 2010 at the World Cup Tournament.

4. Basketball

Thanks to Detlef Schrempf and especially Dirk Nowitzki, two very successful German basketball players in the NBA, Basketball is a very famous sport in Germany as well.

The German Basketball leaugue though is far from being the top one in Europe, but the atmosphere at one of the games is very emotional and definitely something you should try to check out.

Most famous German basketball player

As already mentioned Dirk Nowitzki is by far the most famous German basketball player. After his Rookie season in 1998 he quickly became the best player on his team, the Dallas Mavericks. Quickly dubbed “German Wunderkind” Dirk Nowitzki won the NBA championship in 2011, his career highlight.

5. Motorsport – especially Formula 1

Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. These two fantastic racers were responsible for the big hype there was around Formula 1 back in the days.

Both Schumacher and Vettel were so successful drivers, that for years they dominated the sport and made millions of Germans very proud to watch the races on Sunday afternoons at home.

But now that Schumacher and Vettel are not World champions anymore, the Germans seem to start losing interest in Formula 1. Hopefully this Formula 1 season we will see Vettel on top again.

Most famous German F1 driver

This is a tough one, as both Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel have been dominating this sport for years. But if you have to pick one, we would definitely go for Michael Schumacher, as he broke almost all records in his long career.

6. Handball

Handball is another famous sport in Germany. Interestingly enough it seems that especially in smaller cities, where no major football team attracts the crowds, Handball is very famous and the teams from smaller cities are very successful.

Other than the German handball league, which is considered to be the best worldwide, the German national team seems give some very inconsistent performances. Having won the title back in 2007 this year they officially did not even qualify for the World Cup.

Most famous German handball player

Maybe if you look at his career statistics Stefan Kretzschmar is not the most successful German handball player. But if you just look at him, tattoos all over & wild blond hair, you understand why he is still very popular in Germany.

7. Tennis

Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. Similar to our Formula 1 heroes, these two players were responsible for the big hype around tennis in the 90ies in Germany.

While Boris Becker was the youngest player to ever win the title at Wimbledon, Steffi Graf was on the top spot of female tennis players for years.

Nowadays tennis is still a very popular sport for Germans to practice, but the interest in watching it on TV has dropped significantly.

Most famous German tennis player

When you are the youngest ever player to win Wimbledon it is hard to not be the most famous German tennis player.

But Boris Becker also did his part off the tennis court to be remembered, most famously his “Besenkammer” dubbed episode with Angela Ermakowa, which lead to his failed marriage with Barbara Becker and to a daughter called Anna.

8. Skiing

Similar to tennis, skiing is a sport that Germans love to practice themselves rather than watching it on TV. Every winter the roads towards the Alps are blocked with people spending their winter holidays skiing in the Alps.

Germany has many top skiing destinations, which most of them are naturally in the Alps, the highest mountains in Germany.

A highlight for sure is taking the Zugspitzbahn to the top of the highest German mountain, die Zugspitze. But if you are not in the South of Germany there are other skiing destinations like the Harz. But don’t expect too much, as the mountains there are max. around 1.000m high.

Most famous German ski star

Even though Germans like their wintersport it seems like an eternity that we had a very successful German ski star. But if you have to name one it would most definitely be Markus Wasmeier, who won both Gold medals for Giant Slalom and Super-G at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Since then Germany is waiting for its next superstar.

9. Cycling

Contrary to tennis or skiing, cycling is a sport that Germans used to love to watch on a Sunday afternoon on TV. I personally know not a single cyclist, who practices this as a serious sport.

But also cycling on TV has lost a lot of fans as the biggest German cyclist like Erik Zabel or Jan Ullrich both have been connected to doping in the past.

Most famous German cyclist

Well, it is very tough to admit that Jan Ullrich is the most famous German cyclist. But other than having won the 1997 Tour de France he was also tested positive for using forbidden substances and therefore all his results from 2005 onwards got canceled.

10. Boxing

Henry Maske and the Klitschkos. These great boxers, even though the Klitschkos were not born in Germany, made boxing a very popular sport in Germany.

Each boxing event brought in thousands of people in the stadiums and millions of viewers in front of their TVs.

Even though the Golden times of Henry Maske are over, boxing nowaday still is a very popular sport in Germany thanks to the Klitschkos.

Most famous German boxer

This is also a very though decision between Henry Maske and Max Schmeling. But we will pick Henry Maske as he made boxing insanely famous during the 90s and is still know as the Gentleman thanks to his sportsmanship.